The word 掌握 is formed through the conceptual combination of its two component characters: 掌, which originally means "palm (of the hand)", and 握, which means "to grip" or "to hold". Together, they create a vivid metaphorical image of having something securely in one's grasp. This physical act of holding firmly in the palm evolves abstractly to mean "to master", "to control", or "to have a firm command of", as if knowledge, a skill, or a situation is held as securely and intimately as an object held in one's own hand.